Run Bi Tri - TriathlonSprint

(Remember, this was a REVERSE tri, so the swim was last!)

This was one of the harded race swims I've done. Jumping into the warm water was a shock from the cold bike ride. My arms just didn't seem to want to move. I felt like I was going terribly slow the entire swim. At the end of most lengths, I stopped at the wall to grab a quick breath.

Having the full width of the lane for passing was very nice. I passed one or two, and was passed by the top female during the pool.

My swim practice has been mimimal lately. Clearly I need to ramp this back up. However, I need to do more intervals, or try some reverse bike/swim bricks, to really get used to swimming at the END of the race.

T1 time felt slow for only needing to change shoes, but wasn't really bad. (34th overall.) Had a good running jump onto the bike, but foot slipped when I put weight on the pedals to clip in (grrr.. speedplays). I slid forward, catching myself awkwardly on the aerobars and other pedal. I nearly injured a part of my anatomy I'd rather not, but managed not to fall over. I'm sure the bizarre-looking balancing squat over the top tube was quite amusing until I got back in the seat and clipped in.

Different pedals?

This was a challenging course, and I liked it. Serveral hills as well as lots of turns. The first half was into a northerly headwind, which we got back on the second half. I pushed hard and was pleased with how I did on the hills. I'm not positive of the exact distance - somewhere between 13.25 and 13.45 miles.

The course was very well staffed with police and volunteers. I rode in my singlet, arm warmers, and running gloves. This combo worked well for the conditions.

Need some gear tuning on certain shift points.

Another fast T2. (6th fastest overall.) Had stripped the gloves before hitting transition. Arm warmers, helmet, and race belt came off while jogging to rack. Then it was socks and glasses off before grabbing goggles.

Heard Steve yell about '...in top 20!' as I ran by, which was both surprising and cool.

I did a good job running my own pace and not getting pulled ahead by the faster runners. I felt good on the big uphill and then even on the downhill, where I passed several of people. It was difficult not to speed up as we got to the end of this segment, but I didn't want to spike my HR before the bike.

Push a little harder overall.

Out of the pool, crossed the finish mat. Said hi to the jockstraps briefly before grabbing my 'after-race' bag from the check-in. Headed inside again to dry off and clean up. Used the locker rooms for a nice warm shower.


This was my first time running a reverse tri, so I wasn't sure exactly how hard to pace the run and still have everything I wanted for the bike. The swim was a real shock, and I wasn't prepared for how tired I was at that point.


Woo hoo! My last race of the season and I managed to not only place, but win my age group! So much for Haley and Aaron heckling me about not having shaved my legs. :-)

The reverse tri introduces a nice, different challenge.

The organizers did a great job, especially for a first time event. I'll be trying to do some of the RBT races next year. It was cold this time, but I can't blame the organizers for the weather.

Pros:
- Great nautatorium facility (50m lanes, locker rooms, warm, etc.)
- Lots of police and volunteers
- Swag included a technical running hat. (though no t-shirt)
- Lots of door prizes, including a Scott Plasma tri-bike!
- kids duathlon
- bounce house to entertain kids
- live band (but not so loud as to be bothersome)

Cons:
- Race morning registrations resulted in delayed start
- Raffles and awards didn't finish until very late (waited for everyone to finish swim, then had kid duathlon, then all door prizes, then awards, the bike awarded)
- King/queen of the hill on run and bike should be based on who completes that hill fastest, not on first person to reach that hill.